Russia proposes strict limits on abortions to boost population

A bill has been introduced into the Russian parliament that would sharply curb the availability of abortions in an attempt to reverse the country’s chronic depopulation crisis.

In a controversial move backed by the Russian Orthodox church, the draft legislation proposes that the country’s public health service stop offering abortions altogether, forcing women who want an abortion to pay for one at a private clinic.

If passed, the same bill would limit advertising of abortion services to specialist magazines only and enshrine in law a doctor’s right to refuse to perform the procedure for a large number of reasons.

The most contentious part of the new …